The Story of Maia
by baozito3
Summary: Pretty much what the title says. Please read if you feel curious of what the story's about. Take a chance!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there, everyone! This is my first attempt at writing a story and I really hope that I won't disappoint all you fanfic readers. This story is set somewhere in the end of the Lost Hero, when Jason, Piper and Leo comes back from their quest. It doesn't really fit in with the real story plot because in the Son of Neptune, Nico is *Spoiler!* supposed to be at the Roman Camp but in my story, he's not.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson. The amazing Rick Riordan does.**

**Okay, enough talk. Hope you all enjoy! **

Chapter one: Nico

It was so not fair. All I wanted was some sleep but it seems like the gods take every chance they get to mess with your dreams and make you go on quests you don't want to go on and get yourself killed.

Yeah, I said gods. As in Greek gods. You know… Zeus, Athena and all those. Believe it or not, they're real. And they're always trying to make you do dirty work for them that you have to accept or it's ZAP! Oops, have a nice life, little field mouse!

Demigods like me went through experiences like that and believe me, it's not fun. What, do I have to explain what demigods are, too? You're a demigod when you have a mortal parent and an immortal (AKA godly) parent. Me, I have a human mom (Who's dead now) and a god as a father.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. I was asleep.

I dreamed that I was in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, there was absolutely nothing; not even light. I've never had a dream like this so I wasn't really sure what to do. Suddenly, a small speck of light appeared in the distance. Naturally, I walked toward it. It was a small campfire being tended by a middle aged woman in a brown dress. She smiled when she saw me.

I knelt down in front of her. "My lady," I said.

"Rise, Nico," Hestia, goddess of the hearth murmured. "You need not be so polite."

I sat down next to the fire and said, "My lady, I have not heard from you in some time. Is something wrong?"

She cocked her head. "Do you not know?" she asked.

"Know what?"

"Lord Zeus has forbidden the gods to communicate in any way to our children and mortals."

I blinked. "What? But my father still talks to me! I was in the Underworld only yesterday!"

Hestia shrugged. "Lord Hades is not an Olympian. Zeus cannot control what happens in his realm."

"Then…then why are you here, my lady?" I asked. "Don't you have to follow the rules, too?"

Lady Hestia nodded. "I am disobeying Lord Zeus right now which is extremely risky but…but I have to ask for a favor of you, Nico."

I blinked. Here we go again. Still, I can't just refuse. Lady Hestia was one of the few gods that I could talk to without having to be prepared to meet my father the hard way. She accepted me for who I am and I don't meet many mortals like that, much less gods. Plus, the look in her eyes was so sad. Guilty, too.

"What is it, my lady?" I asked cautiously.

"I need your help… to escort a certain half-blood child to camp Half-Blood," she murmured.

Camp-Half blood was a summer camp for demigods. Most of my friends go there. I find it hard to fit in there so I didn't stay. Instead, I visit from time to time.

"Why? Isn't that the satyrs' job? Where is this half-blood? Who's the godly parent of this half-blood?" I blurted out.

Hestia's flame coloured eyes glowed a little brighter. I thought 'Uh-oh' but she just smiled.

"You hate not knowing, don't you?" she mused.

I blushed. When my sister, Bianca, died three years ago, I had searched all over the world for answers about my past, like who my mother was. Yeah, I guess you could say I really hate not knowing.

Suddenly, there was a rumble of thunder somewhere in the background. Hestia's eyes widened in alarm.

"Zeus has detected that my presence is gone. I have to go now. Nico, I've send a guide. He will lead you to Maia," Hestia whispered. She stood up.

I got up, too. "Maia? Is that the demigod's name?"

Hestia hesitated. "Yes. She ran away from her foster family and the monsters have found her. She won't last for long. I am asking for your help Nico, because you are the closest to her. The satyrs will never reach her in time."

I asked, "Why do you care so much about this half-blood, Lady Hestia?"

She turned to me, her eyes full of sadness. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly, her eyes widened in alarm. "Nico! Names have power!"

My eyes also widened when I realized my mistake but it was too late.

BOOM!

A clap of thunder echoed around us.

Hestia met my eyes one last time, silently promising to explain everything later. She waved her hand and the fire faded away, leaving me in pitch darkness.

Suddenly, the whole world exploded with a BOOM! And I was blinded by a flash of light.

I woke up with my heart pounding so loud I thought it was going to explode. There were many things I didn't like about Lord Zeus and giving people heart attacks with his lightning powers was one of them.

I got up to my feet. The alley in California I was sleeping in was still dark. How was I going to find this half-blood? Hestia said something about a guide but I didn't see anyone else except a few hobos sleeping in the alley.

"Where on earth do I find the guide, much less the half-blood?" I muttered.

Almost immediately, the shadows in front of me began coming together and forming a figure. I was just going for my sword when I saw what came out of the shadow.

It was a hellhound.

Well, more like a hellpup. It had black fur, big eyes and droopy ears. It was the size of a Great Dane, which is sort of small for a hellhound so I didn't think it was fully grown yet.

It barked at me and one of the hobos told it to shut up.

One of the upsides of being a child of Hades is that you get cool powers like being able to understand hellhounds. The hellpup just said _follow! Follow!_

It ran out of the alley and I followed it.

**What do you guys think? I welcome reviews. In fact, I won't update the next chapter until I get at least two reviews! Mwah wa haha! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hooray! Two reviews! Thank you, Tora the Storm and 11greengummybears! Here's the second chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter two: Maia

I jumped over a big puddle, splashing muddy water all over my white flats. My breath was coming out in raspy gasps and my legs felt like they were going to fall off. Despite that, I ran faster.

They were gaining on me.

I turned into an alley, hoping to lose them. Apparently, hoping was too much. They spotted me. I ran into the narrow lane. Up ahead of me, I saw a metal wire fence blocking off my escape.

I wanted to scream. I was trapped! I couldn't climb over it in time! At least, not in this stupid dress! And these stupid flats!

Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Maia. I'm about to die. Back to story.

I just reached the fence when the first one of them appeared turned into the alleyway.

I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. I wanted to tell myself that fire and poison breathing ants the size of bathtubs aren't real and it's just me going crazy. Still, there they were, crawling (at surprisingly fast speed) towards me.

I clenched my fists and felt it grow hot. Very hot. If I'm going to die, I might as well take some of them with me.

One of the ants lunged at me and I instinctively ducked and ran to one corner. The ants turned to me, its beady eyes glaring into mine and its mouth foaming with poison.

Ew. I hate ants. I felt what little courage I had melt away and my fists grew cold again. Okay, I admit I was scared. Freaking out. About to go insane from terror.

I literally saw my life flash before me.

I don't remember where I was born, or who my mom and dad were. My earliest memory was living in a group home. I found it really hard to make friends because I was different from the others. I could do things others couldn't; like read facial expressions and emotions so well I practically know what others are thinking. They called me a freak but I couldn't do anything about this strange ability of mine. I also saw weird monsters (although no one believed me). The adults didn't have the patience to tolerate me, either. I had a hard time learning because I could never pay attention and sit still. And I also sucked at sports. The other kids laughed at my clumsiness and I couldn't do anything to defend myself because I was really shy. Plus, I didn't like fighting and arguing. I had what you would call a 'mother hen instinct'. I couldn't stand violence.

When I turned ten, I was adopted. The first few months living with my foster family was the best time of my life. My parents were nice and my little brother was fun to play with. Then, one day, we were attacked by a monster that only I could see when we were walking in the park. I tried telling them it was a weird looking snake woman that attacked us but they said it was a crazed ice cream man with a balloon. After that incident, more monsters would attack but they wouldn't believe me when I told them what I saw. Soon, they began looking at me suspiciously. It soon became just like living in the group home again but this time, it was worse. The next two years were almost unbearable but I kept hoping that maybe if I behaved, my parents will like me again. I did my best in school (even though I was failing almost every subject). One Sunday morning, when we were at church, I overheard my parents talking. They were thinking of sending me back to the group home. The realization came crashing down on me. They don't want me. I did the only thing I could think of. I ran away. I excused myself to go the bathroom during the talk and ran away. After getting pretty far away, after my mind cleared from the shock and despair, I stopped to rest, realizing a few flaws in my plan. First, where was I going to go? Second, I was wearing nothing but a simple white dress and flats. (Suitable for church but not suitable for running away.) Third, what if the monsters come back? I was in a huge mess, alright. I thought of going back but then thought against it. My parents won't miss me. If I went away, the monsters will stop attacking my family. Besides, if I go back, I'll only be sent back to the group home again.

The first day went pretty well, excluding the part where I almost drowned. I decided to go the park I used go to with my family and walked by the river in the park until I reach a place I could stay for a while. I accidently fell in. (told you I'm clumsy.) I didn't know how far I drifted down the river until I manage to grab onto the shore and drag myself out. The river must've carried me a long way because I wasn't in the park anymore. I was in a forest. And right in front of me, there sat a huge black dog sleeping by a tree. Strangely, instead of feeling the need to run away, I walked up to the dog. His big friendly eyes stared at me like he's been waiting for me to come. He was so big I could sit leaning against his back. I didn't feel like going away after that because the big dog was warm and my clothes were all wet. I pat his head and talked to him and, the funny thing was, he looked at me like he understood everything I was saying. Because he was so smart, I started calling him Einstein. I slept right there in the forest that night. The next day, when I got up to leave, Einstein got up and followed me. I smiled. I think I made my first real friend that day.

The second day sucked. Monsters, or should I say, giant killer ants, came out of nowhere and tried to kill me. Einstein ran away. Right now, I am about to die a horrible gruesome death. And that's the story of my life.

I looked around me hoping for the tiniest chance that I could escape. Yeah, right. There were at least 30 ants that trapped me in a corner. I've probably got seconds left before they kill me and… and…I…

I felt something snap inside me.

I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

The whole world seemed to grow darker for a second.

Suddenly, the shadows moved and-wait a minute, the shadows moved?

Five skeletons grew out of the shadows. They were holding swords and spears. They turned to face the ants, who hissed in alarm and backed up a little.

My own shadow was getting bigger. Slowly, two figures ascended from it. A boy dressed in black and…Einstein?

I didn't know who was more surprised, me or the ants.

Everything stood absolutely still for two heartbeats. Then, the ants gave a terrifying half-scream half-hiss that made me scream right back and push my back against the fence behind me as a vain attempt to get away from them.

Absolute chaos broke lose.

The skeletons demolished the first row of ants. As they were stabbed, they melted into green muck. The boy drew his sword, a pure black blade, and ran into the battle with Einstein.

I was so stunned I couldn't move at all. I mean, this wasn't exactly a part of my every day life.

Apparently, the ants knew I was stun, too. One of them turned away from the skeleton it was about to attack and ran towards me. I only saw it for a split second before the sword came out of nowhere and impaled itself deep into the monster's head. It was so close to me that when it melted, the goo splashed all over my shoes.

I looked up. It was the boy who saved me. But…that's impossible! He was fighting at least 10 metres away from me a second ago! How did he get here so fast?

Our eyes met for a second. His eyes were wild, filled with the light of battle. I could've sworn there was green fire blazing in them, intense and terrifying. I shrank back as much as I could (which wasn't very much since my back was already against the fence.) He wasn't human. That much, I knew.

Another ant crawled up behind the boy while he was pulling his sword out. I tried to scream but my throat was so hoarse from panting I could only manage a small whimper. He must've seen the shock on my face and realize what was happening because his eyes widened. I knew in my heart it was too late. He won't be able to defend himself fast enough.

Then he…disappeared.

The ant's jaws smashed down on where the boy was half a second ago and it looked up, surprised. Then, it let out an awful wail and collapsed.

The boy took his sword out of the monster's back and stepped away from it as it dissolved. He sheathed his sword.

I looked around the alleyway and saw five beat up skeletons and Einstein chewing on an antennae.

All that's left of the monstrous ants were puddles of green goo.

**How do you guys like the story so far? For the story to continue, I will now need...60 MORE REVIEWS! MUA WA HAHAHA!**

**Just kidding, just kidding. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Wow! How long has it been, like, a month? Sorry it took so long! I thought of giving up on this story because I was running out of ideas but then, I decided to try my best to continue (and hopefully finish) the story. Thanks for your reviews! This chapter is kind of short so I'll try my best to get the next one up ASAP. Enjoy!**

Chapter three: Maia

The boy cursed at himself in Ancient Greek.

Wait a minute. How did I know he was talking in Ancient Greek? And why was he cursing himself?

Then, I saw him clutching his left shoulder. The last ant had gotten him after all.

Reluctantly, I pushed myself away from the fence. Immediately, blood flowed into my shoulder blades.

"Woof!"

Einstein dropped the antennae he was chewing on and bolted towards me. 100 pounds of dog jumped onto me and started licking me with his slimy tongue.

"O-off!" I stuttered.

The dark haired boy turned to the skeletons and said something to them in Ancient Greek. Somehow, I understood him. He said something like, "Thanks, you may go now," and the skeletons sank into the ground. Then, he turned and walked up to me and Einstein.

"You okay?"

His question caught me by surprise. I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out. All those things that were running through my mind a second ago magically disappeared. I stared into those green eyes, my mind completely blank while Einstein sniffed through my hair.

I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind (which made me look like a complete fool, of course.) "You…you…um…got hurt."

He arched his left eyebrow like he was surprised I said that, and then shook his head.

"I'm fine," he said. Sweat was dripping down his face.

Einstein barked a protest.

"You know this hellhound?" the boy asked me.

"Y-you mean…Einstein?" I stuttered. "I…I met him yesterday. Um…uh…d-do you know him?"

I hung my head so he wouldn't see my face. Man, I wanted to disappear before I embarrassed myself more.

"Well, it was he who led me here," the boy said. He gave me a small smile. "You've got one loyal dog."

"Woof!" Einstein agreed. Suddenly, I felt him tense beside me and he raised his head and sniffed the air.

The boy tensed, too. "No way," he muttered, clenching his fist.

Yes way. Out of nowhere, a bunch of new ants came around the corner. Some more appeared behind us, on the other side of the fence and some were even crawling down the building walls.

We were completely surrounded this time.

The boy looked like he wanted to swear more in Ancient Greek. By the look on his face, I could tell that the first battle had tired him.

He grabbed me by the arm. His hands were so cold I felt him through my hoodie.

"We're going," he whispered. He yelled something at Einstein and they both charged towards the ants.

What the heck was he doing running _towards_ the monsters? Hoping for a quick death, perhaps? I barely had time to open my mouth, much less scream when the boy stepped on one of the ant's shadow.

I saw was a monster opening its huge mouth to swallow us whole when, the next thing I knew, I was being pulled down, into the shadow, and swallowed in darkness. I felt wind whipping my face so hard I was forced to shut my eyes. Strange noises echoed in my ears. The boy's hand was still clutching my arm and I prayed with all my heart he wouldn't let go and leave me in this alien place. Then, before I knew it, my feet was on solid ground and I was blinking my eyes, trying to see where I was and what on earth just happened.

All three of us collapsed on the spot.

**Review please! Review and I will feel very happy and grateful!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, fanfic readers! Don't have much to say except enjoy!**

Chapter four: Maia

Einstein curled up next to me and started snoring.

The boy sat up and leaned against a wall while he caught his breath. I sat next to him.

After I got over my shock, I looked around. We were in a classroom. The chairs were all stacked, the lights were off, and macaroni art hung from the ceiling.

The boy swallowed. "Saturday," he whispered. "No school. We can rest here for a few hours."

I looked at him a bit concerned. He seemed really tired.

"Your shoulder's bleeding," I told him. "Do you have some bandages? I can wrap up the cut so it won't bleed anymore."

He hesitated a bit and his eyes drifted to the floor. Some people might not have noticed, but I did and I realized that it was because he wasn't sure if he should let me tend to his wound, like he was afraid I'd faint or something if I see it.

I felt my cheeks grow hot. Okay, so I was completely useless when we were being attacked by those monsters, but I was good at taking care of someone. That was one of the only things I was good at.

"I-I'll be fine! You shouldn't be worrying about me! If I don't help, you'll get more hurt," I stuttered.

He reluctantly let me help him, and, truthfully, I did cringe while bandaging it up. The wound wasn't that deep but the skin around the cut was tainted light green and blood was oozing out. His sleeve was soaked through. I didn't notice before because his jacket was black and the blood didn't show.

"That's good enough. Thanks," he said, pulling his jacket back on. I knew he wasn't trying to show it but the wound was bothering him.

He took something out of his pocket. A Ziploc bag filled with…lemon squares?

He broke off a teensy bit and handed it to me.

'Thanks for being so generous,' I thought, taking the food. I ate it.

It was the taste that struck me first, then the memories.

It tasted delicious, almost heavenly. It tasted like something I've eaten before.

'What?' I thought. 'What is it? Where have I eaten it before?' I tried digging into the deepest part of my brain to find out, but it was useless. The wonderful sensation left when I swallowed but I felt more energized.

I peered tentatively at the boy. "Can…can I have some more?"

He broke off a bit more which I quickly devoured. It filled my body with new energy again and I felt the shock and tiredness I've been in for the last few days lift. Where, oh where have I eaten this before?

I turned to the boy again. "Um…more?" I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Whoa," he said. "Calm down. I know ambrosia tastes good but too much can kill you."

"Oh." Darn. I was planning to eat that thing for the rest of my life.

He put the Ziploc bag back into his pocket.

He turned and stared into my eyes like he was trying to figure something out about me.

It was only for a second that ours eyes met but that was all that it took. This happened with me before. I can just look at someone and tell what they are like. I don't know how I did it but it was easy. The eyes of other people told me their whole story. You know that saying: eyes are the windows to the soul, right? Well, that was what it was for me. Literally.

Betrayal. _Why am I being left alone?_

Sadness. _Why did that happen?_

Loneliness. _It's not my fault I'm like this. Why can't anyone accept me for me?_

Anger. _Stop staring at me. Or I'll kill you._

Then, the boy looked away and I found myself back in the present. I blinked and looked down.

Who _was_ he?

He cleared his throat. "Um…so, I was wondering if you have any questions about what just happened," he said. He sounded a little awkward.

I blinked. Oh, of course! After everything that just happened, I just sort of forgot that I had absolutely no idea what just happened.

"Who…what was those…um…monsters?" I asked.

He took a deep breath. "Myrmekes."

"What?"

"Greek monsters. Giant flesh eating ants that hunts in groups and turns their prey into mush before eating them. They love shiny stuff."

"Oh."

We sat in silence for a while. Truthfully, I didn't know where to start with the questions.

The boy cleared his throat. "Um…listen, you're a half-blood."

"Half-blood?"

"_Yeah. You're half human and half god_."

I felt something stir inside me. "Half god? What do you mean?"

He looked me in the eye again. "You're half Greek god. I just spoke to you in Ancient Greece and you understood me."

I felt the stirring inside grow stronger.

The boy started from the beginning. He told me about the Greek gods and how they were in North America and how I was the child of one of them. He explained about all different sorts of monsters and how they can't exactly die when you kill them. He told me all sorts of crazy stuff, from prophecies of the Oracle to something called the Mist to a place called Camp Half-blood.

I sat and listened without interrupting once.

After he was done, we sat in silence once again.

"So who's your godly parent?" I whispered, suddenly feeling tired again.

He raised an eyebrow. "Can't you guess?"

I thought about how he shadow traveled (yeah, he explained that, too. When he was fighting the Myrmekes, apparently, he shadow traveled back and forth between their shadows. That's how he seemed to be moving so fast.) and how he summoned those skeletons out of the ground.

"The dead god?" I tried. I never really learned anything about the Greek gods. I came across a book or two about them sometimes but I wasn't good at reading so I never read them.

His lips twitched and I felt my cheeks grow warm again. Darn. He was laughing at me. I feel so stupid.

"My father's name is Hades," the boy explained. "But you can call him the God of the Underworld, or our friend downstairs, if you wish."

I wanted to lie down and take a nap. This is all crazy. I'm dreaming and I just have to wake up. A part of me didn't want to believe him but another part…

I took a deep breath. "Who…who is my godly parent?"

The boy looked away. "I don't know. Maybe Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Maybe a minor god. I'm really not quite sure. You should…you should get some sleep."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I leaned against Einstein and immediately felt the comforting arms of sleep envelop me. Before I passed out, I somehow gathered the courage to ask one last question.

"What's your name?"

He looked at me. "My name is Nico. Now go to sleep, Maia."

**Whew! Chapter four done! I know Nico didn't have that close distance shadow traveling ability in the book but I felt like adding it. ^.^ Really hoped you guys liked it!**

**REVIEW!**

**Thanks. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks you for the reviews, everyone!**

Chapter five: Nico

Maia fell asleep instantly. Poor girl. Today must've been exhausting for her. I wasn't feeling all that good, either. The battle in the alley went pretty bad. I probably could've done better if I was alone but she was there too and I had to make sure she didn't get hurt. The ambrosia helped the pain in my shoulder go away but I think the wound was poisoned. I better get to Camp Half-blood as quickly as I can before the poison spread.

I looked at Maia sleeping, leaning on Einstein (what a weird name for a hellpup) and frowned. Demigods have this battle reflex that'll keep them alive in a fight. Even if they didn't receive proper training, they could still fight better than regular mortals. That was why I wondered why Maia just stood there and didn't do anything when the Myrmekes were about to have her for lunch. I mean, she could've at least tried to climb the fence or throw some stones at them but she just cowered in the corner of the building. She seems so small and frail. Maybe she just wasn't the fighting type. I couldn't figure out who her godly parent is. I was thinking Demeter. To attract that many monsters, she must be the daughter of an important god or goddess.

I frowned harder, trying to think. She was small in size and had big brown eyes. Her hair was shoulder length and also brown in colour. She's not a daughter of Apollo or Athena, that's for sure. Their kids always have blonde hair, just like them. Maia did remind me of someone but I don't know who.

I felt my eyelids grow heavy. Before I fell asleep, I tapped my sword on the ground and four little skeleton mice formed.

"Keep watch," I manage to tell them before blacking out. I didn't want any monsters to surprise me when I wake up.

I didn't know how long I slept, maybe a few hours, when I heard this knocking noise. At once, I jumped up and unsheathed my sword, Kátoikos and looked around. Maia and Einstein were still asleep. The knocking came from behind. I turned. A wood nymph was knocking on the classroom window, beckoning for me to go outside. One of my skeleton mice was on her head, scratching at her hair. She looked very annoyed as she tried to swat it off.

I hesitated. Usually, nymphs were harmless. Annoying, sometimes, but at least they weren't always trying or kill you. Unless you throw garbage in their territory or call them fat. Then, they get pretty vicious.

The dryad was looking at me urgently. She beckoned me to open the window. I wasn't exactly what you would call the trusting type, but I decided to listen.

"Whew! About time!" she said. "What were you doing, just standing there and staring at me? And can you do something about this stupid mouse? Geez, do you know how long it would take for me get my hair back to normal?" She tried to flatten down the wrinkles in her green tunic and her light brown hair.

"Uh…sure." I snapped my fingers and the mouse jumped to the ground and collapsed into a pile of bones.

The dryad peered into the school. "Uh, do you mind coming outside? I really don't like going into buildings. They give me the creeps."

"Uh…sure." I hopped out of the building with my sword still unsheathed.

Before I could ask her why she was here, she said, "Oh, put that sword away. It's not like I'm here to kill you. Geez, demigods are always so paranoid."

'You can't exactly blame us,' I thought.

"Fine," I said, and sheathed Kátoikos.

The dryad rolled her eyes. "You don't have a big vocabulary, do you? Anyways, my name is Baie. I was sent here to deliver a message."

"From whom?" I asked, frowning.

"The Lady of the Hearth."

Immediately, I forgot about being suspicious and my curiosity perked up. "What'd she say?"

Baie wasn't looking at me anymore. She was looking into the school at Maia. "No wonder," She muttered. "She looks exactly like her. Still, it's unbelievable."

I felt myself getting impatient. "What did the Lady say?" I asked again.

The dryad stared straight into my eyes.

"That girl you were told to save…she's the daughter of the Lady Hestia."

I blinked. "No she's not."

Baie raised her eyebrow at me. "Huh…I expected a more surprised reaction. I mean, I just announced the identity of the one and only child of the Lady and all you do is deny it? Geez. You could at least think about it before answering." She nodded towards Maia. "You have to admit that girl does look a lot like her mother, no?"

I was just about to say "no," but then, I realized that she was right. Maia looks at lot like Lady Hestia. She just didn't have fire in her eyes, that's all.

"Oh, gods…" How could this happen? Lady Hestia is supposed to be an eternal maiden. There were so many things I didn't understand.

Baie nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was surprised, too. Listen, Maia wasn't born like regular mortals. You know how Athena has children?"

"Uh…sort of."

"It's something like that. Maia was born from the hearth, from the flames. She was supposed to be a blessing Lady Hestia made for the man she loved."

"Who's that?"

"Some guy called Kevin Feller. It's too bad. He never met Maia and only knew Lady Hestia for a few months before he died in a car crash."

"He's…dead? Wait, if he never even met Maia, why didn't Lady Hestia just raise her on Olympus?"

Baie looked at me like I was dumb. "Cause she'd a demigod! You know how the gods can't pick favorites, especially not their children? The Lady can't look after her forever. Demigods can't live on Olympus. They're not immortal. Maia has to find her own place in the world. Isn't like that with every demigod?"

I digested all of this. "So…so now, I have to bring Maia to camp Half-Blood, right?"

Baie nodded. "Yup. Lady Hestia didn't completely abandon Maia. She made sure help came to her. She was the one who brought that hellhound to her. Then she brought the two of you together."

I frowned. "Why me and not a satyr?"

Baie rolled her eyes. "I don't know! Don't expect me to know everything! Geez. Anyway, that's the entire message. I'm gonna go now. Bye." Baie turned and started to walk away.

Huh? She was going to leave just like that? "Uh, wait!" I called.

Baie turned. She looked a little annoyed. "What?"

"Thanks. For delivering the message."

"Oh, you're welcome. See ya later, Nico." She started to walk away again.

"How do you know my name?"

Baie turned around again, this time, she looked exasperated. "You're the only son of Hades. You're kinda, I don't know, _famous_? Especially after that war in Manhattan. Geez. How clueless are you? Later."

I watched her walk away. The hair on the very top of her head stood up like some animal tried to make a nest there.

**Gasp! The suspense is finally over! Yes, Maia is the daughter of Hestia. I will try to get the next chapter up quickly. Review, s'il vous plait ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow! I always update so slowly! Sorry, guys, this chapter's short. **

Chapter six: Maia

I dreamed that I was back at home again with my foster family. It was sort of weird. I thought my dream was real and all the things that happened in the last few days were a dream…in my dream.

Something stirred beside me and I sort of woke up. Half my mind was still dreaming but I manage to make out a dark shape beside me.

"Mom?" I whispered, closing my eyes. Did she come to wake me up for school? "Mom, I'm sorry. I won't run away again. I'm glad that was all a dream. Funny…it seemed so real…" I reached out to her and touched her…snout.

Then, I realized my mother was a dog.

I did the natural thing. I jumped up wide awake, screamed a little, backed away from it, and stepped on someone's face that was behind me. I turned around and just saw the boy before I tripped over him and fell on my back.

By then, everyone was wide awake.

"Are you alright?" The boy looked down at me as he rubbed his cheek, his eyes confused and a little surprised. Einstein padded over to me and sniffed my head.

I sat up feeling embarrassed and confused. So what happened yesterday was real after all?

"Yeah, um…sorry about that. I was just surprised that I wasn't um…you know…at home."

The boy nodded understandingly. It seems he's met others that have gone through this before. He tossed me an apple.

"Breakfast."

"Oh…thanks."

We ate in awkward silence. Something seemed to be bothering the boy. Oh, yeah, his name is Nico. He fiddled with his food and glanced my direction every once in a while.

"What's wrong? What's bothering you?" I asked.

Nico frowned like he wasn't sure whether he should tell me or not, but then, I saw his shoulders sag and I knew he gave in and was going to tell me whatever was on his mind.

"When you were asleep, I found out who your godly parent is," he said.

My jaws dropped. Whoa. What?

Nico had an apprehensive look in his eyes. I found myself getting scared. Do I want to know who my godly parent is?

I hardly had any time to think it over when Nico said, "Maia, do you know about the twelve Olympian gods?"

"Uh…um…"

"Name me the ones you do know."

"Zeus…Hera…Ares…Apollo and Artemis…" I recited. "Aphrodite… Demeter…the wine dude…"

"Dionysus," Nico said.

"Dionysus," I repeated. "Hermes…and, um…who have I missed?"

"Hephaestus the fire god, Poseidon the sea god and Athena, goddess of wisdom. Hestia used to be an Olympian but she gave up her position to Dionysus."

"Am I the child of an Olympian?"

Nico hesitated, unsure. "No…" he finally said. "Listen, out of all of those goddesses, Athena, Artemis and Hestia are eternal maidens. That means they've sworn to never have children. However, that doesn't mean they don't have any. Athena has had a lot of demigod children. They weren't created like normal living beings. Athena made them herself…um…er…s-something like that. She created them by herself. So…in a sense, she's still a maiden. The other two doesn't have children."

I nodded, following his story. "Is Athena my mother?"

"No. Your mother is Lady Hestia."

I frowned. "But you just said the other two didn't have children…"

"Until now." Nico looked me in the eye, his expression dead serious. "You're the only known demigod whose mother is Lady Hestia. The only daughter of Goddess of the Hearth. The first one ever."

I sat back, letting the information sink in. What was I supposed to feel? Shocked? Happy? I didn't know. What does it mean to be the only child of a god? What _will_ it mean for me?

I just didn't know.

As I sat there thinking thing over, a queasy feeling came into my stomach. I couldn't help feeling helpless as more apprehensive thoughts crept into my mind.

Suddenly, Nico stood up. "Come on, Maia. We should get going to Camp Half-Blood."

**I'm just wondering, does anyone know what kind of food hellhounds eat? Is it just regular dog food or something else? Anyway if anyone has an idea, please tell me! Review please.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys. Can you believe it's been a month?! I apologize for being so slow and lazy…**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter seven: Maia

We walked for a very long time. A very, _very_ long time. By noon, I was so tired I was ready to give up a limb so I could have a foot massage. My flats weren't exactly the best for walking for hours nonstop. Nico said that we had to keep moving because monsters catch up to us faster if we stay in one place for too long. He had tried to shadow travel all the way to Long Island after we ate but for some reason, when we just stepped into the shadows, we got shoved back out by who knows what was lurking in there. Nico tried again but to no avail. It was like something in the shadows was blocking our path.

"Some god must be messing with me," Nico had muttered. None of us had any money so in the end, we decided on good old fashioned walking. After three hours I was ready to die. (Yeah, I'm in great shape, I know.) Nico seemed rather tired himself but I couldn't blame him. He did have an injury. Einstein looked like he was enjoying this little walk at first. However, after a few hours, he whimpered and nudged my shoulder.

"Are you hungry, Einstein?" I asked. He jumped onto me and licked my face in response.

Nico watched us, clearly amused, as I tried to push Einstein off me.

"We have to get him some food," Nico said. Einstein got off me and jumped onto him.

I nodded in agreement, feeling guilty. I didn't know when Einstein last ate. I've been with him for almost three days but I haven't fed him anything.

"So…uh…any pet shops nearby?" I asked. "I don't know this part of the town very well."

"Let's look around," Nico replied.

We did manage to find a pet shop but I forgot we didn't have any money.

"We could steal, I guess…"Nico said slowly. Einstein walked around sniffing the ground.

"St-steal?" I stuttered. "How do you steal a bag of _dog food_ without getting caught?"

"I meant steal money."

My eyes grew wider.

Nico merely looked at me. "It's kinda hard not to steal when you're living on the streets. Usually I get my money from the Underworld but right now, we're nowhere near Los Angeles."

Los Angeles…oh, yeah. The entrance to the Underworld. I still find that hard to grasp.

"You're…you're right. It'll take weeks to walk to California alone." Still, it felt wrong to steal. I was pondering over our situation when I saw Nico staring at me weirdly.

I blushed, feeling a bit flustered. "W-what is it?"

"Don't you mean it'll take weeks to walk to Los Angeles? We're in California already."

I blinked. "What? No, we're not… We're in Portland, Oregon."

We stared at each other for a few minutes. Nico looked confused but I could see in his eyes that he didn't believe me.

"No…" Nico said. "We're in California."

"Did…did you shadow travel from Oregon all the way to California?" I asked.

"No…actually, I found you in California. You must've gotten here by yourself somehow."

Huh? What the heck was he saying?

Nico frowned. "Maia, think. Did you perhaps fall asleep somewhere and woke up somewhere else? Or found yourself in a different place all of a sudden?"

"No…It can't be…no, wait…" My eyes widened. "The river!"

**Yes, I know, this was a very short chapter. I had to finish this chapter up because I wanted it to switch to Nico's POV.**


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